Rohde & Schwarz (R&S) and customized test system supplier Noffz Technologies have collaborated on the integration of the R&S Compact Antenna Test Range (CATR) reflector technology and the company’s advanced radar echo generator AREG800A into Noffz’s end-of-line (EoL) radar sensor test system, the UTP 5069 CATR. This, say the companies, creates a fast, accurate and efficient test system optimized for production that facilitates the transition from radar sensor development to mass production.
For an improved SAE L3 (Society of Automotive Engineers Level 3) experience on the way toward autonomous driving, radar sensors have to accommodate far more complex traffic scenarios. Consequently, imaging radar sensors have been developed with significantly finer spatial resolution, which requires much larger antenna apertures. Measuring these radar sensors in the direct far field (DFF) would be impractical within production environments. However, the CATR technology found in R&S’s ATS1500C chamber creates a large quiet zone with high-quality far-field conditions in a very compact physical footprint.
The Noffz UTP 5069 CATR is designed for high-volume production test and calibration. Its extremely low-reflection anechoic chamber is one of its key features. It is available with a compact footprint of less than 3.5m2 . The relative motion of the DUT during calibration, loading and unloading can be achieved by an integrated robot or a goniometer. Both motion options can be selected depending on the requirements for movement flexibility, position accuracy and cycle time.